They Failed Us

As dust settles from the vote on the EU referendum, it is only now that we can take stock of the situation, it is only now that the fog of misinformation has cleared and the sobering reality kicks in. We were let down. Our ‘leaders’ failed us. They failed to give us a fair understanding of the issue at hand.

On Friday morning when the leave result was announced I was mad that most of my family, friends , colleagues, associates didn’t vote. They are partly to blame for the leave vote attaining a clear win, but it isn’t solely their fault as it was a battle to decode some kind of truth. Most people lost any kind of interest in the referendum months ago.

Almost 100 years ago an American senator said that the first casualty of war is the truth. We weren’t even at war and the truth was kidnapped, hidden, and held to ransom without a note from the first mention of an EU referendum. To be clear the leaders of most political parties failed the nation. They failed to provide us with the true facts, the accurate detail, the true benefits of leaving or staying with the EU. They failed to engage with the youth and provide them with a clear choice.

It feels like the UK has no backbone.

Unfortunately I haven’t got the time to detail the chain of events leading up to the referendum, the inaccurate portrayal of refugees, or the fascist claims of impending immigrant invasions. But over the last 6 months or so news hasn’t been news, I witnessed exaggerated propaganda for and against a departure from the EU. I found it hard to make an informed decision due to the litter of mis-information. Once traditional, trusted sources of information were bloated with inflated claims from every angle being passed off as news. According to the headlines one day it felt like we should be pro-remain, another day it felt like we should be pro-leave due to the heavy handed rhetoric.

The racist tactics of fear mongering were not necessary in this day and age. It wasn’t appropriate when Hitler used them, it definitely isn’t appropriate today.

Steven Hawkins observations on the Brexit issue were some of the few that made sense and weren’t polluted with an agenda. His concern was for the greater good of science rather than any kind of allegiance to an organisation. I found further insight from watching John Oliver’s satirical breakdown of Brexit. It simplified the whole process and lifted the shroud of deceit. And there you have it, I found enlightenment on a matter that determines the fate of our country from a scientist and a comedian, not a politician or news outlet. I was one of the lucky ones that actually found some kind of clarity.

The day of the result it was apparent that few people were aware of what they had or hadnt voted for. Exaggerated leave claims prior to the vote were retracted on national TV. The Prime Minister resigned, retreated from the responsibilities that he swore to uphold. Politicians from opposing parties resigned. Revelations that opposition leaders avoided the opportunity to stand for something, but instead buried their heads in the sand or sat on the fence.

It feels like the UK has no backbone.

Like many other people across the UK, I dont know what happens next, I don’t know the consequences of this referendum, and I don’t trust any political opinion on what follows. If we faced an extinction level event we are fucked. It would be every man, woman, and child for themselves. Right now there isn’t any leader capable of guiding the people.

There is no clear voice of reason, no vision or foresight of the consequences of blinding the public over this issue. If we don’t get a grip on this predicament I fear that there will be streets will be running with blood out of the extreme ignorance has promoted across ‘news’ outlets over the last 6 months. The Mis-eductaion of Great Britain and the EU referendum was the worst exercise of misinformation we’ve endured since we went to war over alleged ‘weapons of mass destruction’ that still haven’t been found.

There are many victims of this referendum; The truth, the citizens of the United Kingdom, and the people from overseas that have historically made ‘Great Britain’ great.

Will the real leaders of the UK please stand up and actually lead us, otherwise we may as well vote Stormzy and the #Merky party into office.